Abraham’s servant faces a daunting task: to find a bride for his master’s son Isaac. He prays a very specific ask of the Lord. The Lord answers his prayer. As he marvels at God’s provision, he repeatedly mentions God’s leading (v. 27, 48). This servant not only prayed but also obeyed what God called him to do. In our lives, we ask and listen but we also are called to obey as we hear His voice.

Like the ancients who would scale their words by swearing oaths towards or away from Jerusalem, we can scale our words by fudging our yes and no. Empowerment and freedom in relationships happens when we let our yes be a yes, and our no be a no.

Jesus' message to His disciples is both simple and challenging. "Let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no, no.'" In simple terms: there should be no need to guarantee our word. When we speak we should speak the language of our Father in heaven - truth. Anything beyond this is the language of the evil one who is the father of lies. The challenge is to remain committed to the truth both when it benefits us and when it leads to the cross!

Jesus' message to His disciples is both simple and challenging. "Let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no, no.'" In simple terms: there should be no need to guarantee our word. When we speak we should speak the language of our Father in heaven - truth. Anything beyond this is the language of the evil one who is the father of lies. The challenge is to remain committed to the truth both when it benefits us and when it leads to the cross!

This message takes an emphasis off of the words we use and places it on the sentences, the paragraphs, and the motivations behind what we say. There are good words for good things and bad word for bad things, but ultimately all of our words are bound within the truth that everything is by God and for God. Realizing this can change our speech more effectively than some kind of moral restraint.